Solidarity with protestors in Iran

This includes the killing of children and violent attacks on student demonstrators. More than 200 people have been killed and many more injured and detained as a result of public outrage over the death of a young Kurdish Iranian woman, Mahsa (Jina) Amini on the Friday 16 September.

UCU also denounces the recent arrests of Iranian and international trade unionists as another attempt by the Iranian authorities to silence their internal critics and recast public dissent as being the result of external manipulation.   

Young people, particularly women and girls, have been at the forefront of the current protest movement in Iran. UCU extends solidarity to women, girls, students and all those protesting in Iran. UCU acknowledges the immense bravery of schoolgirls and students in Iran who have been participating in recent protests, notably waving their headscarves in the air and demanding freedom and equality.

UCU calls on the Iranian authorities to respect the right to peaceful protest and freedom of association, and the right of women and girls to make their own decisions about how to dress and how to lead their lives.  We call for the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained during the recent protests and for the release of all political prisoners, trade unionists and prisoners of conscience in Iran.

We support the call for the establishment of an independent mechanism - under the supervision of the United Nations - to investigate and ensure accountability for the most serious crimes under international law in Iran.